In this guide
Planning an Arenas Del Mar wedding is about choosing a genuinely small beachfront resort rather than trying to make a large hotel feel intimate.
Arenas Del Mar sits in Manuel Antonio between rainforest and Pacific coastline, with direct access to the beach and a guest experience built around a compact luxury property.
That scale is the point.
The resort currently positions weddings as “small by design,” with guest counts around 35 rather than 100 or 200. For couples who want a destination wedding where nearly everyone can actually spend time together, that is a very different proposition from a large resort.
If you are comparing Manuel Antonio venues, my Villa Punto de Vista wedding guide covers the private-estate alternative.
Arenas Del Mar wedding at a glance
Location: Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas
Setting: Boutique luxury resort between rainforest and the Pacific Ocean
Wedding size: Current wedding information centers on intimate celebrations of roughly up to 35 guests
Main ceremony setting: Direct beachfront access, with rainforest behind you and Pacific views in front
Good for: Elopements, micro weddings and small destination weddings
Planning model: In-house wedding team, including planner, florist, chef and event staff
Guest experience: Resort stay with beach access, wildlife and Manuel Antonio nearby
Style: Small luxury resort rather than private villa or large all-inclusive
For current wedding details, see the official Arenas Del Mar wedding page.
Why “small by design” matters
Many resorts can host a small wedding.
That does not mean the property itself feels small.
Arenas Del Mar is different because the wedding program is built around intimate guest counts from the beginning.
The resort currently states that weddings are limited to about 35 guests, which keeps the celebration visually and socially connected. You are not placing 25 people inside a venue designed for 300.
A recent couple who eloped here in late 2025 described the ceremony as exceeding expectations and specifically praised the planner’s warmth, availability and involvement throughout the day.
That is the kind of evidence I would pay attention to: not simply whether the venue photographs well, but whether the small-wedding format is actually supported operationally.
The beach is genuinely part of the venue
Arenas Del Mar currently describes itself as the only luxury resort in Manuel Antonio offering direct beach access specifically for weddings.
The practical part of that claim matters more than the marketing language.
You do not need to load guests into shuttles simply to reach the ceremony. The beach is part of the resort experience.
For a small wedding, that keeps the day much more fluid.
From a photography perspective, direct access also means we can use the beach according to the actual light rather than treating it as a separate excursion.
I would still protect the late afternoon. Manuel Antonio light can be intense, and a beach ceremony placed too early can be visually harsh and physically uncomfortable for guests.
The in-house planning model changes the experience
The resort’s current wedding program is unusually integrated.
Arenas Del Mar says its lead planner, florist, chef and event staff are handled in-house rather than passed through multiple outside coordinators.
For some couples, that is a major advantage.
Destination weddings become complicated when every decision requires another vendor, another contract and another communication chain.
An integrated team can simplify that.
The trade-off is that couples who want complete freedom to bring in their own preferred coordinator or production structure should clarify those boundaries early.
I would ask exactly what is included, what is flexible, and which vendors can be substituted before signing.
The guest experience is Manuel Antonio, not just the hotel
One of the strongest reasons to choose Arenas Del Mar is what happens around the wedding.
Guests are staying in one of Costa Rica’s most recognizable wildlife destinations, with beaches, rainforest and Manuel Antonio National Park nearby.
That gives people something to do without the couple having to create a full itinerary.
At the same time, the resort is small enough that guests will naturally keep seeing one another.
That combination—independence plus repeated contact—is useful for a destination wedding.
People can have their own trip while still feeling that they are part of one shared celebration.
Arenas Del Mar or Villa Punto de Vista?
These are two of the strongest luxury options in Manuel Antonio, but they solve different problems.
Villa Punto de Vista is the stronger fit if you want a private-estate takeover, multiple days living together with your core group and the possibility of events up to roughly 100 guests.
Arenas Del Mar is the stronger fit if you want a small resort experience, direct beach access and a more integrated hotel team handling the wedding.
The choice is less about which property is “better” and more about whether you want a private house or a boutique resort.
For many couples, that distinction decides everything else.
Green season deserves a real backup plan
Manuel Antonio is much wetter than Guanacaste.
That is part of why the landscape is so lush, but it also changes wedding planning.
One past wedding review specifically praised the venue team for having backup plans in place during the tail end of rainy season, even though the wedding day itself ended up with good weather.
That kind of preparation matters more here than simply hoping for a clear forecast.
I would ask how the ceremony, cocktails and dinner change if rain begins at the exact time guests are arriving.
A good rain plan should still feel like your wedding—not like everyone has been pushed into an emergency corner of the property.
What I would pay attention to when planning the photography
Arenas Del Mar does not need a complicated photography plan.
The strongest sequence is already there: rooms and terraces for getting ready, rainforest around the property, direct movement toward the beach, ceremony, cocktail hour and the changing Pacific light.
I would avoid adding unnecessary travel simply because Manuel Antonio has many scenic locations.
The point of choosing a venue with direct beach access is that the day can stay connected.
I would also photograph the wildlife and landscape as context rather than decoration. Monkeys, rainforest, humidity and ocean are part of what makes Manuel Antonio feel different from a wedding in Guanacaste.
The final gallery should explain that difference.
Who Arenas Del Mar works particularly well for
I would look seriously at Arenas Del Mar if:
- your guest list is intentionally small;
- you want a true beachfront ceremony without transporting everyone elsewhere;
- you prefer a boutique luxury resort over a private villa;
- you want an in-house team simplifying the wedding planning;
- you want rainforest and wildlife to be part of the destination experience;
- you are planning an elopement, micro wedding or celebration around 35 guests.
I would think more carefully about it if:
- your guest list is much larger than 35;
- you want a full private-estate takeover;
- you need complete freedom to bring in every outside vendor of your choice;
- you prefer the drier landscape and more predictable dry-season weather of Guanacaste;
- you want a large ballroom or large-scale production environment.
Arenas Del Mar wedding photography
An Arenas Del Mar wedding works especially well for documentary photography because the property keeps the important people close.
There are fewer transitions, fewer logistical pauses and less reason to disappear for portraits.
The rainforest and beach create the visual identity naturally.
What matters more is what happens between people: breakfast before the wedding, someone watching monkeys from a terrace, family arriving at the beach, a ceremony that feels genuinely small rather than scaled down.
Those are the photographs that explain why this venue works.
Planning an Arenas Del Mar wedding?
If you are considering Arenas Del Mar in Manuel Antonio and want photography that covers the experience around the wedding as well as the ceremony itself, I photograph destination weddings, elopements and multi-day celebrations throughout Costa Rica.
My wedding collections begin at $3,500, with travel within Costa Rica included. You can see the current options on my Costa Rica wedding photography packages page.
You can also compare more properties in my Costa Rica wedding venues guide.
